IPL 2021: England players given choice to quit or carry on playing - Report

England have said that their players participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 must make their own minds whether to carry playing the tournament as COVID-19 continues to ravage the nation. At least two franchises have been affected by the virus after KKR players – Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier – and CSK staff – L Balaji and bus cleaner – tested positive for COVID-19.

The T20 tournament headed into turmoil on Monday with the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore being postponed after positive results.

However, the IPL 2021 will, in all likelihood, continue and ECB remains concrete with their decision to not withdraw any of the 11 English players in the lucrative tournament.

Instead, the ECB has given an option to carry on with the IPL 2021 or quit and face 10 days in quarantine before they can return to their homeland.

“We continue to monitor and communicate with our players and staff currently in India,” said an ECB spokesperson as quoted by DailyMail.

“In terms of continued participation it will be a decision taken by each individual. We acknowledge these are challenging times and our thoughts are with the people of India.”

Meanwhile, reports suggest that Chakaravarthy recently left KKR’s bubble in Ahmedabad via the IPL ‘green channel’ to have a shoulder scan and it is being assumed that the spinner contracted the virus there.

The match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians, on Tuesday, is on as scheduled.

There has been no indication of any of England's 11 – Morgan, Buttler, Sam and Tom Curran, Moeen, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Chris Jordan, Jason Roy and Dawid Malan – flying back before the end of the tournament on May 30